Whether you're nervous or think coming out is NBD, it'll probably be an unforgettable moment. Below, 16 people recall the moment they first discussed their sexuality with their friends, family, and therapists.

1. "I'm out as bisexual to my therapist and a few close friends. The first time I came out, it was to my trans friend. He had recently come out to me, so I knew he wouldn't judge me. I just flat-out said, 'I think I'm in love with someone who isn't a boy. I don't know what to do.' I was shaking so much and it was very hard for me to verbalize the fact that I wasn't straight, but he ended up being incredibly accepting." — Zara, 17

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2. "Other than telling my parents, I never really came out.I started dating my friend-turned-girlfriend, and we never hid the fact that we were a couple. I'm out to everybody. It's not a secret because thankfully I live in a really accepting town." — Julia, 17

3. "I was sitting in my best friend's basement one night and just wouldn't leave because I knew I wanted to tell her, but didn't know how to say it. I explained that I wanted to tell her something, but didn't want the dynamic between us to change because she was my best friend. She said nothing I could say would ever change that, but I was still so terrified that I couldn't say it out loud,so with her sitting on the same couch as me, I texted her, 'I like boys and girls.' She immediately hugged me and told me that knowing this part of me doesn't change us at all, and I cried like a baby the rest of the night." — Kate, 21

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4. "I came out by mistake via an email to my step-mom. She asked me if I wanted to talk about the guy who broke my heart and I responded with, 'No, she was a cool chick, we just didn't vibe.' She was thrilled and wasn't at all surprised!" — Haley, 22

5. "I had come out to my parents back in 8th grade, and they were sort of accepting, but they doubted whether I really knew if I liked girls or not. They thought I was too young to label myself. But then shouldn't I be too young to decide if I was straight? From then on, I decided to not tell them whenever I was dating or liked a girl, and I think they just thought I grew out of the phase or something. But last year, I decided to bring it up again with my dad, and he was much more accepting this time. I think he at least grew out of this misconception of whether a young person can really make a decision about themselves. It's still really awkward to bring girls up because I've always been sort of non-vocal about my sexuality. I'm confident in who I am and I'm sure most of the people I care about would be accepting, but it's still hard to express it out loud. I have yet to actually say the words 'I am bisexual,' but I think I will soon, hopefully to my mom." — Josefina, 18

6. "I started coming out to a few close friends last year, and by now I'd say I'm completely out at school. The first time I came out was to one of my oldest friends when I was 20. I wrote him a note and taped it to his door. He was extremely supportive, and admitted that he'd been pretty sure I was gay since high school. My parents only know because it came out (pun intended) at family therapy. They're taking a 'don't ask, don't tell' policy to it." — Katharine, 21

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7. "My best friend and I were pretending to be dating to prank our other friend. Later we were alone and walking and I was like, 'Hey, speaking of girls dating girls, I have something to tell you,' and I just came out. I originally came out as pan-romantic, which I guess is still technically true, but I lean so much towards girls that I come out as gay now. I'm a lesbian but asexual, so I don't experience sexual attraction, but I have lots of romantic feelings, usually towards girls or non-binary people. I'm out to my closest friends, some teachers, my mom, and some not-so-close peers that I know are cool if I casually come out to them in conversation." — Kelli, 17

8. "I came out as bisexual for the first time to my best friend, who is gay himself. I am out to most of my friends and my parents." — Hannah, 18

9. "It started out that I was constantly joking with friends by saying 'Oh, yeah, I'm totally bi,' but they never took it seriously, and I didn't either. These exchanges lasted for three or four years. I think I really realized I was bi when I switched my Tinder to all girls, and actually kissed a girl. I was only out to my friends until an event at my school called Make a Statement Day where people wear shirts with quotes or meaningful statements. I wore a shirt that said 'I like girls.' That's when people finally realized I wasn't joking." — Meg, 16

10. "I'm gender fluid — I'm both a girl and a guy and alternate between periods where I identify more strongly with one or the other or the gray area in between. I'm also bisexual (I consider that to include people of all gender orientations, rather than just the binary genders). I'm out to everyone because as soon as I fully understood my identity and came out to myself, I started expressing my gender and sexuality freely. I don't hide anything or hold anything back; the only people I explicitly discussed it with as a 'coming out' experience were a few of my close friends. I'm very fortunate that I live in a community that is progressive and accepting, because I know that in a lot of other places I wouldn't be able to safely mention who I'm attracted to in casual public conversations or to dress as whichever gender I align with most on a particular day." — Arin, 17

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11. "I'm bisexual and not hiding it from anyone, but that being said, most people assume I'm straight because I look typically 'feminine.' I told my friends from day one, but I did not tell my parents until I was dating a girl seriously." — Gigi, 22

12. I'm pansexual, polyamorous, and somewhere between gender fluid and gender neutral. Most of the time I don't feel like I really have a gender, though depending on the day I can feel distinctly feminine or masculine. I use the pronouns "he," "she," and "they," and I use both my birth name and Mathias. I'm extremely closeted when it comes to anyone or anything that could get around to my parents, but my close friends know, bae knows, and if someone (that I know won't get back to my parents or won't make a big stink) asks I'll tell them. I formally came out to my best friends a few years ago via group text. I was super nervous, but they were accepting and it went well. They're not the type to be like, 'Oh, well, you can't spend the night anymore, and we can't hang out, because you might be hitting on me...' We're still close and I love them more for it." — Makayla, 17

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13. "Before anyone knew I was bisexual, I was secretly seeing a girl (who is now my girlfriend of almost two years). I changed my relationship status from 'single' to 'in a relationship' on social media... and that's when the phone calls and texts from family and friends started coming in. I then told my best friends, my parents, and then my extended family over the span of a week." — Amber, 21

14. "I never 'came out,' because I don't like the idea that LGBTQ people are expected to make public announcements about their sexuality. I've never hidden who I am or denied it, I just don't believe in the outdated concept of coming out. I just began dating another girl and that was that." — Livia, 20

15. "I came out to my mom and sister before anyone else. I was just out at breakfast with them, and I had been wanting them to know that I'm bi for a long time because I had always told them everything and didn't want to keep something so important to me hidden from them. I was really nervous as I was doing it, but my mom and sister received the news very calmly and treated it like a non-issue. My mom just started talking to me about a book she had read about the fluidity of sexuality (being my mom, of course she managed to turn it into a conversation involving books!), and I was so relieved that she felt so comfortable with it. About a year or so later, I came out to everyone else by posting on Facebook. It may seem like an odd thing to do, but I didn't want to have to go through the process of telling every individual person I know over a long period of time." — Mimi, 17

16. "When I first figured it out I was a lesbian in the eighth grade, I started off by telling my close friends that I knew were also LGBTQIA. I told them all I was bisexual because I figured more people would accept it if I gave them some hope that I could one day be with a guy. When I was a sophomore in high school, one of my friends dared me to come out to my mom. I was extremely nervous. I sat her down in her bed, hid under the covers and told her, 'Mom, I'm bi.' She was devastated for some time because she wanted me to grow up just like her and have a husband and kids like most mothers want. She did not understand why I would choose this or how I was born this way, but she did the responsible thing, and learned about homosexuality, watched The Ellen DeGeneres Show every day, and put her beliefs aside and loved me because I was still her daughter. Today, she is one of the most supportive people I know of my sexuality and loves and accepts me for everything I am. My dad also knows, but we have never had a real conversation about it. Eventually, I will get around to coming out to my brother, too. Today, I am in the process of starting a 'coming out intervention' organization dedicated to helping LGBTQIA youth and adults come out to their family through a step-by-step process with contingencies in case the intervention does not go as planned." — Jen, 21